Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
6 - 7 bell peppers (I used green because they had a nice shape for stuffing)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 lb. lean ground beef (I used 80% lean)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley or 1 tbsp. fresh
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs. Save the tops and dice them; set aside. If your peppers do not stand well on their own, you can slice off a small sliver on their bottoms to even the base - but be sure not to cut through to the inside. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and 2/3 of the garlic and cook for 2 - 4 minutes, or until semi-translucent. Add the ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 - 7 minutes. Drain this mixture using a fine sieve and then place into a large bowl.
2. In the same saucepan, add the chopped bell peppers that you had set aside earlier, along with the mushrooms. Dry saute this over high heat to give some 'sear' to them and so that they just lose their 'crispness.' Once done, throw on top of the ground beef mixture, then add the cooked rice on top. In a small bowl, combine the egg, parsley, Parmesan and remaining salt and pepper; mix to combine, then pour into your bowl. Mix everything to combine, then stuff as much of this mixture as you can into your peppers. Place the peppers into a baking dish. Mix the water and tomato sauce together, then pour around the peppers. Bake for 45 minutes
